Friday, April 25, 2014

Have so much in the works that I've not
been great about sending out newsletters, so going to try and remedy
that now. SO many great things to share about upcoming workshops,
events, projects, and other happenings!

First news about
upcoming shows and workshops in April & May:

Happening
tomorrow (Saturday, April 26th) – Nathaniel and I will
be performing at Hexenfest in Oakland, CA – starting things off
with an opening ritual live music/dance performance, and then we will
join Ego Likeness later on stage as well! Hexenfest is a music and
arts festival dedicated to myth, magic, folklore, fairytale, and the
numenous. Hexenfest has a flair for the darkly exotic. Gothic, Pagan,
and Tribal belly dance themes are featured prominently, evoking the
forbidden forest more than than the enchanted wood. If you feel at
home in dark fairytales, join us in the realm! Tickets & info at
http://www.uptownnightclub.com/events/hexenfest-2014-pandemonaeon-unwoman-tempest-and-nathaniel-johnstone/

Then
we are off to New Jersey for Rakkasah Spring Caravan for May 2nd-4th!
I will be teaching 3 exciting workshops over the weekend, and The
Nathaniel Johnstone Band will be playing music live for dancers on
Saturday and Sunday. We'll also be vending! Details at
http://www.rakkasah.com/spring/

And
then we're off to Clockwork Alchemy in San Jose, CA – where the
band will be officially releasing our brand new album “The
Antikythera Mechanism” - there will be multiple live music and
dance performances throughout the weekend, and I will be offering a
workshop as well on integrating bellydance with Steampunk with
integrity. Details: http://www.clockworkalchemy.com/ - check out their website for a special FREE download of one of the new songs + samples of other ones!

Then
we're back home in Washington, and I will be offering a “Bellydance
Decopunk” workshop in the Olympia, WA area on May 31st –
followed by a hafla! Details at http://oly-wa.us/masuda/

Now,
in other news, especially for or related to June!!!

DVD News!This past
weekend, we re-filmed a large portion of the DecoDance DVD – I am
VERY happy with the results, and we're expecting to be able to
release it in mid to late June. More details on that in May!

Artemis in Seattle!June
13th-15th – Seattle – WA! It's my birthday and I am
bringing to town one of my “dance mama's” and mentors, Artemis E.
Mourat! There are 4 workshops throughout the weekend, and it all
kicks off with a fabulous live music show featuring the Nathaniel
Johnstone Band & House of Tarab at the Columbia City Theater in
Seattle. Details on all of this at:
http://www.darklydramatic.com/artemis.html

Tribal Revolution - Workshop Change!

Also in big news – we have altered
one of our offerings at Tribal Revolution in Chicago, IL (June
26th-29th) – we're replacing the “Dancing with Live
Musicians” to “No Fear Bellydance! The Epic Quest for Artistry & Improvisation” - Saturday, 6/28When we look at dance as art, we open ourselves up to being able to say more through our movement, while making a conscious effort to connect more deeply with our audience. Herein lies the secret to more beautiful, expressive performances! Art is not an abstract concept to be used as an excuse for poor planning. Nor is it an elusive esoteric experience for the elite. (Say that 3 times fast!) Art-making DOES involve concrete technique and critical thought. Yet it also requires the ability to let go, and be open to chance and exploration. Coincidentally, working with live music brings in similar challenges. How can you be prepared and be in the moment at the same time? What does it take to push beyond dancing to the music, and giving a dynamic performance that appears polished and planned? (Answer me these questions three!) In this workshop, dancers will learn to set aside their fears about improvising, effectively incorporate artistry into their dance, improve their communication skills (for working both with an audience as well as live musicians) and push their own boundaries and style - while working with both recorded and live music. Students will be challenged to build their creative thinking processes, apply them directly to their dance, and exercise new critique skills in class. All the while surprisingly themselves AND having fun! The quest is ON, who will find the grail?!Register for it, as well as find out other details at
http://www.tribalrevolution.com/

Lastly
– we are offering THREE kinds of Museum Quality Intensives this
year – each is limited to 15 students or less and are filling up!:
* July 5th-6th – Sturbridge, MA – Summer Salon
Mini MQ (2 days): http://museumqualitydance.com/summersalon.html*
August 22nd-24th - Indianapolis, Indiana (3 days) - Hosted by
Celeste: http://www.celestebellydance.com/

Whew! Yeap, that's a whole lot, and there's so much more, but
I'll contain it to this for now. Just want to add that right now in
Seattle, there is a solo exhibition of my artwork up at the Pioneer
Square Saloon for a few more days – but if you're not local, you
can see the newest paintings at http://www.owlkeyme.com/art.htmlBe
sure to follow my pages on facebook for regular updates – and stay
tuned for more exciting news in the future!